2013 All Japan Rally (JRC) Rd. 5: Montre
Miyoshi in the 86 Finishes 2nd in Class: JRC Montre Stage
The 5th round of the 2013 All Japan Rally Championships labeled as "Montre 2013 in Gunma" takes place July 27-28th in the Gunma Prefecture.
The tarmac Montre stage was added to the JRC series from the previous year, where it has become one of the most successful venues out of all the rounds. This event is enjoyed by many spectators where the vendor booths and show grounds, and a viewable racing enviroment is setup, as well as many different food vendors to enjoy.
Initially, the rally comprised of two short 10SS courses, however due to the heavy rains and danger to flooding, the SS10 had been cancelled. Day two consisted of two laps around the short SS, three 5SS for a total of a 15SS 78.78km rally.
Being the home turf for Team Cusco Racing, Hiroshi Yangisawa / Yoshimasa Nakahara (JN4 Class) in the Subaru WRX STI and Hideaki Miyoshi / Takahiro Yasui (JN3 Class) in the Toyota 86 again had entered the rally.
Heavy rainfall were present the day before the race resulting in slippery road surfaces, making tire choice and suspension setting a difficult and cruicial decision for all teams. Despite inconsistent road surface conditions, the tarmac surface specialist Katsuta managed to grab the second best time in the early 6.6km stage. Later in the JN3 class session, heavy rainfall and flooding plagued the roads as bad visibility conditions forced Yanagisawa to become disqualified from the race.
4 of the Toyota 86 in the JN3 class were joined by a new Subaru BRZ chassis this round, a first ever BRZ in the All Japan Rally Series. Miyoshi battled the course in the 86 against the other top 86/BRZ contenders to initially secure a 3rd place ranking however suffered a 20 second deficit on SS8. This combined with another 40 second deficit on SS9 eliminated his chance at the win this day.
Day two consisted of a heated battle between Katsuta and Miyoshi, where both parties marked worthy times in various stages. Miyoshi exhibited his veteran skills and placed 2nd in this race, and is now ranked 3rd in the overall standings.
The next round 5 of the All Japan Rally Championships is labeled as "Tango Hanto Rally" is a tarmac stage scheduled for August 23-25th in the Kyoto prefecture.
Official Links
Montre Rally Results Page (Japanese)
http://www.montre.jp/result/2013/index.html
http://www.montre.jp/
Round 1 Report
http://www.cusco.co.jp/en/motorsports/2013_japan_rally_tour_de_kyush.html
Round 2 Report
http://www.cusco.co.jp/en/motorsports/2013_japan_rally_jrc_kumagoen_.html
Round 3 Report
http://www.cusco.co.jp/en/motorsports/2013_japan_rally_jrc_rd_3_fuku.html
Round 4 Report
http://www.cusco.co.jp/en/motorsports/2013_japan_rally_jrc_rd_4_touy.html
